How to Train Your Dragon 3
by peachdoxie
Summary: The Vikings and dragons of Berk must once again fight against those who threaten their way of life, but this time the stakes are bigger than Berk alone. War is coming. An attempt at writing a movie-canon consistent version of How to Train Your Dragon 3 based on what limited knowledge we know (pre-title reveal.) As of Jan 9, 2019: this story will not be completed.
1. Author's Note: Letter to Readers

Hi readers. peachdoxie here.

I have some unfortunate news for you all: I'm officially leaving this story as unfinished for the foreseeable future. I started this project over four years ago, and it's taken me this long to realize that it was too ambitious. Now that the third movie is almost here (or is here, if you're in one of those lucky countries) I've run out of motivation to finish this. The truth is that I never really had an ending planned out and was hoping to make it up as I go, but now I just don't think I can come up with something that I'll be satisfied with writing. I set too high expectations for myself in this and I was unable to meet them. And, you know, stuff happens. Life gets in the way.

I'm going to publish what I do have written, which is Act II of the story. There's a missing part between chapter 4 and chapter 5 in which Hiccup receives some news and discusses what to do about it with most of the other characters. The last chapter I will upload is also unfinished, but just in the last couple paragraphs. There may be spots elsewhere that I didn't fill in a word or left a transition unwritten, but there shouldn't be too many.

All in all, I am proud of what I did manage to accomplish with this. I think it's my longest cumulative fanfiction yet, even unfinished like it is. I'm okay with leaving it unfinished. I don't see it as a failure on my part, just a learning experience that didn't go as planned.

I hope that you all will be okay with me doing this, and, if not, you can leave. I did my best and this is what my best is in this case.

Thank you, as always, for reading :)


	2. Prologue

This is Berk.

It's a tiny island in a big ocean in what we're finding is a much bigger world. Things have changed a lot in the last five years, and even more so in the last few months.

Of course, not everything is different. We're still the same stubborn, crazy Vikings that we've always been. We still celebrate the same things too. Birthdays. Holidays. And oh, wedding races!

But where _other_ places might have feet or horses for theirs, we have…Dragons!


	3. Wedding Race

At the sound of the massive horn, Toothless and Stormfly vaulted into the air from the new racing stands, their riders in saddle and ready for the flight. Hiccup laid low over Toothless's back as the dragon's powerful wings shot them forward through the air. Half a length behind them, Astrid, similarly crouched, urged Stormfly on.

The crowd roared in the stands.

The two riding pairs neared the first turn around an unpainted watchtower. Astrid took the inside turn, catching up to Hiccup and Toothless. In addition to her usual clothes, Astrid had on a fur cap tied under her chin. Only a few strands of her blonde hair peeked out from under it, the rest tucked back and out of her face that was painted with blue and orange lines. Stormfly's wings were similarly painted. Hiccup and Toothless wore their usual riding gear as well, but Toothless's wings were painted with a bright red that matched the color of his tail prosthetic.

She grinned at Hiccup as she and Stormfly caught up to him and Toothless. "Ready to get second place?"

Hiccup grinned back. "There's no way we'll take second! Toothless and I are the fastest fliers on all of Berk!"

"You sure about that?" With a beat of her wings, Stormfly pushed just ahead of Toothless. Astrid waved her hands flirtatiously in Hiccup's direction.

Toothless grumbled. "I know, bud," Hiccup said. "But we've got plenty of time to catch up." Together, they flew around the western side of Berk, neck and neck with Astrid and Stormfly.

On the main island itself, the crowd had settled somewhat as the two riders disappeared around the island. On the Chieftain stage, Valka stood with Gobber and Gothi. "I never thought I'd be there to see Hiccup get married," Valka said, fiddling with a baby Terrible Terror that crawled over her shoulders.

"Aye," Gobber agreed. "I always figured Hiccup would get himself killed before he did. What?" he said when Valka gave him a sharp glance. "You have to admit he's a bit reckless. At least there's no war anymore."

Valka nodded. "I suppose that's true." She sighed, then glanced at the statue of Stoick in its vigil over the village. "I just wish…"

Gobber followed her gaze. "Aye."

In the air above Berk, Meatlug carried Fishlegs on her back, who looked through a telescope at the distant racers. Meatlug's uneven wing beats meant that it was difficult to keep them in view, but he looked anyway.

"I can't tell who's in first. They're too far away!" Fishlegs called down to Snotlout. The other Viking was lounging on Hookfang's back, flicking splinters off a stick with his knife. The dragon himself was perched on the watchtower that the racers had flown by just moments before.

"It's once around the Outer Islands and back to Berk, right?" Snotlout asked.

"Yeah," Fishlegs said. "Who do you think will win?"

Elsewhere, Tuffnut said, "It's gonna be Hiccup, for sure."

"No way!" Ruffnut countered. "Astrid will beat him. She's the best racer on the island."

The twins, along with Barf and Belch, stood at the base of the stairs up to the Great Hall. Ruffnut ran up a few stairs, just enough to see over the roofs of the nearby houses, and gestured to Tuffnut. He and the two dragons followed. "Have you seen how fast Toothless can fly? It's definitely his race." Tuffnut said.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes as the four of them snuck up the stairs. "Hiccup will probably get distracted by some random dragon he sees and fly off."

At the top of the stairs, Tuffnut paused to look over the village of Berk. Many of the buildings lost in Drago's attack had been rebuilt, though some still lacked fully tiled roofs. Large boulders too big to remove littered the mountainside. The island almost looked like it did before the war ended: in between a constant process of destruction and rebuilding. At least nothing had happened in the few months since then. The late afternoon of the race saw clear blue skies with only a few clouds on the horizon. It was a good time as any to celebrate the marriage of the Chieftain. And that meant….

"Well, it doesn't matter right now. Everyone is down at the stands watching for them to get back. The entire Great Hall will be empty except for the food."

With Ruffnut guarding them, and Barf and Belch sniffing around in the grass, Tuffnut cautiously opened the massive door. "Yes! It's unguarded!" He darted inside.

The door had barely shut before Ruffnut heard a scream from inside. She yanked the door open and ran to her brother's aid. Barf and Belch followed, shoving the door open even further. They paused, halfway in the Hall, to find Ruffnut with a sword pointed at her throat.

"Don't think that no one planned for this," Eret, Son of Eret, said. On the floor behind him, Skullcrusher had Tuffnut pinned to the ground. The captured Viking groaned from his prison.

Ruffnut sighed in defeat.

Out over the open ocean, Berk was tiny in the distance behind the racers, the village hidden behind the island's highest peak. Toothless and Hiccup were several dragon-lengths ahead of Astrid and Stormfly. Astrid squinted into the wind and had her mouth drawn into a tight line. Stormfly flapped her wings a few times to keep her momentum going before settling into a glide. The first of the Outer Islands was nearing. It was their only chance to catch up.

Toothless and Hiccup flew further above the water than their competitors. Hiccup had moved from prone to sitting on Toothless's back while the dragon flew slower to conserve his energy on the longer flight. He looked back at Astrid and Stormfly. Their lead wasn't much. Hopefully they could grow it when they flew around the islands.

The Outer Islands were less "islands" than a cluster rocky crags that stuck a few dozen feet out of the water. No one lived on them except for gulls, a small nest of Terrible Terrors, and a few Berkians who had come to watch from the basalt columns. It was at the farthest island that was the turning point of the race. After that, back to Berk.

The first island passed by below Hiccup and Toothless. "Alright, bud," Hiccup said. "Ready to show off a bit?" Toothless snorted in agreement.

The Night Fury slowed enough that Hiccup wouldn't be torn from his seat as he changed position to lay flat across Toothless's back. The pause gave just enough time for Astrid and Stormfly to almost catch up below as all four racers approached the farthest of the islands.

With a shift of his tailfin position from Hiccup, Toothless folded his wings tight along the sides of his body and dove towards the other racers. The air streamed against his and Hiccup's eyes, making them squint in their dive. Astrid and Stormfly grew closer and closer the faster the duo went. As they neared the others, Toothless let out the characteristic scream of the Night Furies. They flew at such a speed that by the time Astrid had turned around to see her boyfriend and his dragon's drama, they were already there.

Toothless twisted sideways and unfurled his wings at the bottom of the arc around Astrid and Stormfly, using his extra back spines to give him the tight turn. He and Hiccup timed it perfectly. In full view of the watching Berkians – who cheered and yelled as they passed – Toothless and Hiccup swooped in front of Astrid and Stormfly. The blue dragon squawked with surprise at their appearance, and Astrid sent a glare in their direction, though the smile on her face betrayed her affection. Hiccup gave a cocky salute, and with their bit of drama complete, Toothless beat his wings once and the Chief and his Dragon fell back into first place and disappeared out of Astrid's view.

As Toothless rocked back into a steady horizontal flight, Hiccup whooped with glee. "Hey, we did it!" He rubbed the top of Toothless's head and looked behind him. There was no sign of Stormfly and Astrid yet.

With no warning, Toothless spread his wings to slow his flight into a glide towards the waterline. Hiccup yelped. He sat up and pushed his helmet up, looking at the islands in front of them. "Toothless!" he said. "What was that about?"

The dragon grumbled low in his throat, a warning that Hiccup took to heed. He crouched down and tried to follow Toothless's gaze. The dragon's eyes darted back and forth across the land in front of them. This side of the island was pitted with caves and overhangs from centuries of erosion. Despite – or perhaps because of – the sunny afternoon, the island was filled with shadows that Hiccup's eyes could not penetrate from this distance.

But Toothless could. He angled himself towards the island, gliding to maintain silence. Hiccup followed the dragon's lead. As they approached the caves, an eerie, haunting moan echoed from the rocks. Toothless's ears perked up immediately and Hiccup shivered with the noise. They glided parallel to the island's small and rocky shore, looking for…something.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup saw something move. He turned to look at it and saw Stormfly and Astrid fly past, a hundred feet above him and getting farther by the second. The race!

"Toothless!" Hiccup nudged the dragon, breaking him out of whatever had captivated his attention. The strange wail faded at Hiccup's words. "You okay, bud? What was that?" Toothless shook his head and snorted. He redirected himself towards the race's flight path. "I guess we can check it out later." With a last glance behind them, the Viking and dragon resolved themselves back to the race.

By the time they caught up to Astrid and Stormfly, the four racers had rounded the eastern edge of Berk and the village was in sight. The people and dragons on Berk had moved from the race stands to the stairs of the Great Hall, leaving the grassy area open for the winners to arrive. They cheered as they saw the dragons with their riders approach.

"Come on, Stormfly!" Astrid said. "We can win this!"

Hiccup and Toothless were fast closing in on the other duo, barely a few dragons-lengths away, but the others were too close. "We're not going to make it, Toothless." They'd have to swerve out of the way, taking valuable time, in order to get there before Stormfly landed. "Time for Plan B!"

Hiccup yanked the handle that stabilized Toothless's riding gear into place. In a practiced move, he shoved himself off Toothless's back into a freefall to the ground. At the right moment, Hiccup pulled the webbed wings out of his riding suit and angled himself towards the grass. The flight path took him down Stormfly's tail and right over Astrid's head.

Or so he planned. Stormfly flexed her wings to slow her descent, a move which thrust Astrid right into Hiccup's path. Hiccup flailed and tried to miss crashing directly into Astrid, but it was too late. She turned to see Hiccup right behind her just as his arm caught her shoulder and the force of their collision knocked her out of the saddle. Together, Astrid and Hiccup's momentum flung them to the ground in a tangle of limbs and yelps right before Stormfly's claws clutched at the grass as she landed.

Hiccup and Astrid rolled to a stop on the grassy hill. Astrid's cap had been ripped off her face and her hair stuck out at odd angles. Both were covered in clumps of mud and grass stains. Astrid lay across Hiccup's stomach with her feet near his head. The assembled Vikings watched from the stairs, not sure what had just happened.

Hiccup propped himself up on his elbows and Astrid pushed herself over so that their legs crossed. They looked at each other for just a moment before bursting out in laughter as Toothless landed somewhat clumsily next to Stormfly. With cheers and hollers, the Vikings and dragons of Berk surrounded the couple while they helped themselves stand up on shaky legs.

Gobber staggered over with a big grin on his face. He looked back and forth between the two racers in all their busted and muddied glory. With a shrug, he grabbed Hiccup's hand with his and Astrid's with his prosthetic, which inexplicably took the form of a pair of tongs. Gobber raised their hands in the air and shouted "To the winners!"

The crowd responded with even more raucous cheers. Not to be overlooked, Stormfly and Toothless shoved their way into the winner's circle, much to the delight of everyone involved.

As the cheering continued, Snotlout, Eret, and Fishlegs hoisted Hiccup and Astrid onto their shoulders. "To the wedding!" someone shouted, and they proceeded into the Great Hall.


	4. Wedding Ceremony

There were no shadows hiding in the interior of the Hall. Bright torches adorned each wooden pillar and a small fire burned in the hearth, bathing the room in a festive light. Innumerable garlands, full of weavings and flowers, were hung between the torches.

Gone were the old decorations of dragons impaled by Viking weapons. In their place hung fantastic mobiles depicting the multitude of dragon species that had been discovered in the recent years. They were polished to a point where one could see their reflection, and the firelight glinted off their surfaces. The dragon effigies kept their sentinel over the lavish feast spread out before them. Tables were piled high with casks of beverage and platters of food, both for Vikings and for dragons.

The Berkians in question gathered in an arc around the head of the hearth where the guests of honor now stood.

Hiccup wore an embroidered version of his usual green tunic, this one threaded with bright colors whose patterns imitated dragon scales when seen closely. His hair was combed neatly against his head and his cheeks were flushed redder than usual. He wore a fine leather shoe, much different than the bulky boot he normally had on, and his prosthetic was polished and blemish free. At his waist, buckled to a fine leather belt, was a sheathed sword. Behind his left shoulder sat Toothless, bare except for his own prosthesis. Though the tail fin was its usual red, it was made of a fine fabric unsuitable for flight, but decorated with the same embroidery found on Hiccup's shirt.

Mirroring them stood Astrid and Stormfly. The bride had ditched her usual shirt with skirt and leggings and instead wore a long dress that dragged on the floor. Astrid's dress matched the blue of Stormfly's face and wings. Braided into her hair were ribbons of bright blue and yellow, again matching her dragon's colors. The fine garment had long sleeves that almost reached the floor when Astrid's arms were at her side. She, too, wore a leather belt with a sheathed sword.

To start the ceremony, Hiccup unbuckled the sword from his hip and held it out in one hand, pommel up. "Astrid," he said, then faltered, staring at her face, mouth slightly open. Words failed him. Astrid stifled a small laugh and nodded slightly, smiling and encouraging him to continue.

Hiccup's eyes glanced at the assembled Vikings and dragons, all decked out in their finery. Valka, in a long dress the color of dried grain. Gobber, his usually crude prosthetic hand this time replaced for one carved out of a dark hardwood. Snotlout and Spitelout. Fishlegs and Eret. Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Though there was no gap in the audience, the absence of Stoick was clear.

A glance to his left showed Toothless, his head held high and trying to look regal. The dragon snuck his own glance at Hiccup, catching his eye. Toothless pointedly looked between Hiccup and Astrid as if to say _get a move on!_ Satisfied his message had been sent, Toothless resumed his majestic stance.

"Astrid," Hiccup tried again. "I give to you my family's sword as a sign of my love and commitment to you. I promise to stand by your side through whatever we face in the years ahead." He smiled at her, and though it was not a large smile, it was a genuine one.

Astrid unhooked her own sword and held it up to Hiccup. As usual, she showed no hesitation or anxiety and spoke with confidence. "Hiccup, I give to you my family's sword as a sign of my love and commitment to you," she said, emphasizing the last _you._ "I promise to stand by your side through whatever comes our way."

As ceremony dictated, Hiccup reached out and took Astrid's sword from her hand. He fumbled a bit with the exchange, prompting muffled snickers from the audience, but managed not to drop the sword. Astrid followed suit, taking Hiccup's sword, though without dropping hers. As one, they attached their swords to their respective belts.

Once done, Hiccup offered his hand to Astrid. She took his hand and squeezed, grinning at Hiccup's attempts not to cringe at her grip. He squeezed back, returning the smile.

Toothless shoved Hiccup lightly from behind with his snout, pushing Hiccup into Astrid. Hiccup shot a dirty look at the dragon – though it could not contain his amusement – and with typical grandiose fashion, Hiccup scooped an arm around Astrid's shoulders and pulled her into a kiss.

The crowd burst into cheers at the wedded couple's completed marriage and the partying began.

Vikings and dragons mingled together in a room full of laughter and joy, enjoying the great food, music, and each other's' company. Hiccup and Astrid once more took center stage, dancing in a way similar to how Hiccup had once watched his parents dance, and everyone followed suit. Terrible Terrors stole food from the tables despite Eret's best attempts to stop them, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut made off with even more. Toothless tried to goad Cloudjumper into a dragon's version of dancing, which the older dragon stalwartly refused until Stormfly joined Toothless in his endeavors.

At long last, Hiccup found himself with a moment alone to sip from his mug and watch the crowd. Snotlout had somehow gotten herself into an arm-wrestling fight with Eret and was trying – and failing – not to lose. Hiccup smiled at the raucous laughter that came when Eret finally won and beckoned on the next competitor.

He gazed around the room at the Vikings and dragons of Berk – his people. The smile faded from his face as Hiccup recalled his father's words that morning:

 _Stoick, sitting in his chair by the fireside, standing when Hiccup came down the stairs. Pacing, standing tall, chest puffed out. "Son, we need to talk." Still somewhat awkward at talking to Hiccup about these things. "You're the pride of Berk, son, and I couldn't be prouder."_

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" His mother's voice broke Hiccup out of his reverie. She looked younger and more put together than Hiccup had ever seen Valka when dressed in her finery, but up close he could see the lines on her face and the grey in her hair.

Hiccup nodded. "He was really looking forward to the wedding. He'd planned out what food would be served, what music would be played." Stormfly squawked in the distance. Hiccup pointedly did not glance over at where he knew his dragon would be. "I still can't believe he's gone."

"Aye," Valka said. After a pause, she spoke again. "I had long ago given up on imagining how things might have been, had I stayed on Berk. But then you showed up, and then your father, and for a moment, I started to wonder…." She trailed off. "We can't change what happened, Hiccup. But if we could, I don't think your father would have done anything different."

Hiccup swirled the mead in his cup around. "I know," he said. "I just wish it hadn't happened…like that."

Valka nodded, then shifted her stance and smiled at Hiccup. "Enough of this talk, Hiccup. It's your wedding night! Let me see the ring."

Hiccup held out his hand to Valka, who took it and gazed closely at the band. It was made of finely worked silver with intricate designs on the sides. At the centerpiece was a polished circle of dragon scale that shifted from blue to yellow. "It's from Stormfly. Gobber put one of her scales in my ring and one from Toothless in Astrid's."

"It's lovely," Valka said, dropping Hiccup's hand.

The music in the hall shifted from a lively tune to something still energetic, but more subdued. "Speaking of Gobber," Hiccup said, and pointed his mug at the approaching blacksmith.

Gobber nodded his head at Hiccup with an air of false deference. "Chief Hiccup." He nodded at Valka. "Valka." Gobber presented his hand to Valka and asked, with a twinkle in his eye, "May I have this dance with you?"

Valka giggled and took his hand. "I would love to."

Hiccup watched them walk off to the dance floor, smiling sadly.


	5. Nightmares and Night Furies

Out of the dark came a bright flash of purple. Hiccup jumped back out of the way, but there was nowhere back to go. It was solid rock behind him. No, it was ice. Ice was all around him, growing closer and closer in daggers of green and blue. Dragons circled overhead in a mass of beating wings like they were about to swoop down and carry him off at any second. And that noise, that terrible noise: the low thrumming of the Bewilderbeast's call. Hiccup covered his ears and closed his eyes, and as soon as he did, another sound came out of the dragon's thrum, a single word. " _SON!"_

Hiccup fell sideways, or was pushed, or both, and now he was falling, falling, falling, clouds of ash and smoke boiling the air, faceless voices screaming his name over and over again. Something came out of the dark at him, glowing blue, and he was staring at Toothless, only it wasn't Toothless. The dragon's pupils were slits and Hiccup screamed his name but it did no good. Hiccup lunged forward, shoving Toothless aside, but the dragon kept coming back, staring at him with those narrow eyes and Hiccup kept pushing and pushing, trying to get away, but unable to, unable to and the dragon kept coming. He pushed Toothless again, but this time with more force, and he felt the dragon's scales against the palms of his hands and now it was Toothless looking at him, his pupils wide again, but Hiccup leapt back in fright and fell off his bed.

He landed on the hard wooden floor with an oomph, one leg still on the bed. Hiccup lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath after the dramatics of the nightmare. Gentles thumps and floorboard creaks told Hiccup that Toothless was coming, and Hiccup ran his hands over his face before opening his eyes. Above him was Toothless, looking down at him cautiously, as if not knowing what Hiccup would do next.

The room was dark enough that Hiccup knew dawn was still a few hours away. He looked over at Toothless, who was keeping his distance, wary around Hiccup. The boy offered a hesitant smile up at the dragon, and Toothless visibly relaxed. Hiccup pulled himself off his bed and stood up, fixing his shirt as he did so. He looked at Toothless and grinned lopsidedly.

"What do you say, bud?" he said, gesturing with his head towards the hatch in the ceiling. "We've got a few hours 'til dawn." Hiccup walk to the other side of the room, Toothless following him, and began to put his flying gear on. "Let's go flying. No exploring, no fancy tricks." The dragon's eyes met his. "Just you and me, bud. Nothing else tonight."

The early morning sky was half-filled with clouds, enough that Hiccup and Toothless could fly between them if they wished, but through the gaps they could still see the stars. The night air was calm, its quiet only broken by the wind in Hiccup's face and the beating of Toothless's wings. They flew like that for a while, Hiccup lying on Toothless's back, not talking, just enjoying the peace and each other's company.

But eventually, Hiccup broke the silence. "I know it's been tough these past few weeks, bud," he said. Toothless turned his head slightly, just enough to let Hiccup know he was listening. "And I know a lot has changed recently." He sighed. "Whatever happens, there will still be you and me. Nothing is going to change that."

Without warning, Toothless looked sharply to the right, his pupils narrowing slightly, and Hiccup sat up. He grabbed the tail tillers and turned them right, following Toothless's movements. "What the-" Hiccup started to say, but Toothless growled softly and Hiccup shut up. As they banked right, Hiccup looked around, trying to spot what Toothless had seen, but saw nothing. Hiccup lowered himself so that he was lying flat against Toothless's back, and the dragon picked up speed with a determination to chase and catch whatever it was that he had seen.

In the distance, Hiccup spotted something, a darkness against the sky. He squinted at what was clearly a dragon, but before he could get a good look at it, the mystery dragon disappeared behind a cloud. Toothless, though, seemed to know exactly where it was. He flew straight at the cloud and gave no indication that he was going to stop. Hiccup braced himself for the damp, and the two of them were encased in a dark fog. Still, Toothless did not slow down, leaning left to start another turn. Hiccup followed suit, years of practice letting him pick up on the dragon's subtle indications of movement. They flew through the clouds, coming in and out of breaks. Every so often, Hiccup would catch a glimpse of something in the night. There was a familiarity to it, but Hiccup could not quite place it.

They broke free from the clouds, over open ocean and under open sky. Hiccup had a better view of the dragon now, and his eyes widened as he recognized it. "Another Night Fury," he breathed. No wonder Toothless was so eager to follow it.

"You up for some fast flying, Toothless?" Hiccup whispered. In response, Toothless gave a powerful beat of his wings, and off they went, shooting across the sky. The other dragon gave a sharp turn to the left, leading the duo into another bank of clouds. Inside, the chase became erratic. Hiccup soon lost track of the dragon, but Toothless was able to follow it. The boy gave up on trying to follow the Night Fury himself and instead just relied on Toothless. Through the clouds they flew, abruptly changing directions every few moments. "It knows we're following it," Hiccup realized.

The chase continued and Hiccup lost track of how much time they spent in the clouds following the dragon. Eventually, they flew out into the open air again. The sky was light enough that Hiccup could no longer see the stars. Dawn was coming.

Ahead of them, the Night Fury was flying towards another patch of clouds, but Toothless and Hiccup were closer to the dragon than they were before. With another powerful push, Toothless put on a burst of speed and the distance between them closed. Back into the clouds they flew, determined to get closer to the Night Fury.

The dragon took them on a straight course, right through the clouds. Hiccup barely had time to wonder about this, his faced scrunched in thought, before a pillar of rock appeared out of the mist in front of them. Hiccup yelped, and in one motion, he and Toothless swerved to the left to avoid crashing into it. The steep angle of the turn caused Toothless to lose his grip on the air and he flipped over onto his back, Hiccup barely hanging on. For a moment it seemed like they would plunge into the ocean below, but somehow Hiccup managed to pull the tiller wheel and together he and Toothless righted themselves. Toothless beat his wings hard as they flipped back around, and they flew away from the rock before coming to a stop.

Toothless hovered there in the cloud while he and Hiccup caught their breaths. The other Night Fury was nowhere in sight. The only thing Hiccup could see was the rock face, barely through the dark fog, which he could now tell was not a single column of stone, but instead the point of a long cliff wall.

Hiccup stared along the wall, shaded though it was in the early morning light. He absently patted Toothless on the head and said, "You alright there, bud?" Toothless cooed in response, letting Hiccup know that he was. "Let's see if we can spot that Night Fury from up there," Hiccup said, gesturing to the top of the cliff, and off they went.

There was not much that either of them could see from the top except for dark grey stone and scraggy clumps of grass. The cliff's edge stretched on in a curve that disappeared into the clouds on either side of them. Away from the sudden drop off, the ground sloped upward until it, too, vanished. Hiccup stood, one hand on Toothless, a few feet from the cliff's edge, listening carefully for any sign of another dragon. After a moment, Hiccup turned to Toothless. "Nothing, Toothless," he said. "We've lost it." Toothless snorted, still looking out into the gloom, not yet giving up. Hiccup sighed. "You keep look out. I want to mark this place." He patted the dragon once and knelt to take out his map.

He unfolded the map and took out his pencil while Toothless kept up his watch above. It was only as he adjusted his compass that Hiccup realized how light it was outside. He looked down at his map, which was clearly visible on the ground in front of him. The sun had risen, and the fog had mostly been burned away. "Oh no," Hiccup said.

"Toothless!" The dragon looked at Hiccup, his head slightly cocked. Hiccup quickly packed up his map and stuffed it back in his suit. "We need to get back to Berk. We're going to be late." As Hiccup climbed onto the saddle, he looked around the island. The slope behind him led up to a wide mountain, covered in loose rocks and more clumps of grass. Toothless gave one last look at the island, and the two of them were off.

Once in the air, Hiccup turned around to get a better look. On the mountain's side, he could just barely see a black shape disappear into a depression on the rocks. The Night Fury had been watching them.


	6. Chieftain Meeting

Hiccup pulled at his cloak, adjusting the awkwardly hanging garment. The cloak looked different from the one his father had worn; given Hiccup's narrow frame, his was pinned in the middle of his chest instead of at his shoulders. It fell just off his shoulders so that the Berkian crest was visible on his shoulder pads. Underneath, he wore his standard green shirt with a decorated leather vest over it. Although not prepared to ride any dragons, Hiccup had on the vambraces that held his knife and compass. Strapped to his boot was the undecorated but still functional Inferno replica. Hiccup also had his sword from Astrid in its scabbard around his waist, meant to bolster the image of being a chief. He wore the helmet his father had given him five years earlier.

The meeting place was in a village on the slope of a large hill that wound its way down to a rocky peninsula that curved around a sandy bay. Warships larger than the Berkians' own boat were docked on the ocean side of the peninsula. Only a few others were small enough to sail up to the beach without worrying about running aground. Hiccup gulped at the sight of the ships, but didn't see any with the familiar logo of Drago's army.

A path ran part way up the hill; it split off, one branch leading to a collection of houses that disappeared around the hillside, the other up to a wide but plain Hall. People stood in clusters here and there on the beach. Some of them turned to look at the Berkians as Phlegma and Spitelout pulled their ship into the shallow port.

"Well," Hiccup said. "We're here."

He climbed out of the ship. The low hum of conversation on the beach stopped as they saw the new Chief of Berk for the first time. Hiccup, lending his hand to Astrid, kept his gaze on the people on the hillside, many of whom were now staring at him. Their expressions ranged from unreadable to outright hostility.

"Wow," Astrid said. "I didn't expect all the glares."

"Yeah," Hiccup said. He looked around at all the people. He lowered his voice. "Do you see anyone who looks like they could be working with Drago?"

Astrid shook her head. "No, but I'll keep my eye-"

She was interrupted by a loud call of "GOBBER THE BELCH!"

Hiccup and Astrid spun in the sand to find a massive woman storming down the hillside towards the three Berkians. The two young Vikings immediately reached for their weapons, ready to draw them at a moment's notice. Gobber turned and hobbled towards the approaching woman, mild alarm showing on his face.

The woman reached the threesome and stopped in front of Gobber. She towered over him, easily a head taller, and stood there with her hands on her hips. They stared at each other for a moment.

"Bertha," Gobber said. He didn't make any move to greet or welcome her.

"Gobber," the woman replied.

The silence held for a second longer. Then, Bertha and Gobber broke out in wide grins simultaneously. "Come here, you!" Bertha said, pulling Gobber into a hug that picked him off the ground and pressed his face against her ample chest.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a glance as Bertha let Gobber go. He readjusted his helmet that had been knocked sideways and turned to the pair.

"Hiccup, Astrid, meet Bertha of the Bog-Burglar Isles!" Hiccup smiled and offered his hand to Bertha. He started to speak, but she grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously up and down.

Up close, Bertha was even more imposing than from afar. Her height was magnified by her broad shoulders, making her more than twice as wide as Hiccup himself. Like many Viking chieftains, she wore a large fur cloak pinned to her shoulders and the dual-horned hat, dark blonde hair braided and coiled against her head. To complement her overwhelming size, she wore a bright orange dress shirt that would have looked garish on anyone less intimidating.

"So this is the might Hiccup, all grown up!" she said, releasing him. "You were still a wee babe the last time I saw you. It's been what, twenty years now? Haven't seen you since your…ah…since your mother died." She pursed her lips, as if trying to gauge how much Hiccup mourned the mother that, to her knowledge, he'd never known.

"Uh, yeah," Hiccup said, smiling awkwardly. "That's me." He gestured vaguely at Astrid to fill the silence after that statement. "This is my wife, Astrid."

Astrid smiled and held her hand out. "Nice to meet you, Bertha."

Bertha took her hand and shook it as violently as she did with Hiccup, though Astrid was far less ruffled. "Ah, you seem like quite the woman, Astrid. Strong, beautiful, steady." She leaned over to Astrid and stage-whispered to her, "and you got yourself the chief as a husband. Good job there!" She burst out laughing. Astrid joined her.

They started walking to the hill. "Bertha is an old friend of mine," Gobber said once the laugher quieted. "We got into quite the trouble in those days, the three of us. Bertha, me…your father." He paused.

"Aye," Bertha said, solemn now. "I knew your father well. I was sorry to hear about his death. The world lost a good man that day."

Hiccup swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "Thanks," he finally muttered.

At the base of the path leading up the hill, they were stopped by a Viking guarding the entrance. She pointed at Hiccup's sword. "No weapons," she said. "Take them off before you go up. You can leave them in your ship." She scowled. "Don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

Hiccup looked at Gobber, who shrugged, then waved Spitelout over from their boat. Hiccup stepped off to the side and detached the sword from his belt while Astrid unstrapped her axe from her back. He leant the scabbard against a rock before reaching up to take his dagger out from its sheath. It wasn't there.

He scanned the ground for it before turning to look back towards the boat to see if it had fallen out. Not seeing it, he turned to the others and yelped when he found himself face to face with a small blonde girl dangling his knife from her fingers.

"Looking for this?" she asked, grinning with a glint in her eyes.

"Uh, thanks." Hiccup reached out and gingerly took the knife from her. He started to put his knife back in its sheath before pausing, then handed it to Spitelout, who was taking weapons back to the ship.

From his side came Bertha's booming laugh. She came to stand next to the girl. "I see you've met my daughter, Cami!" she said. "She likes to greet other people by stealing their things." Cami grinned again and waved at Hiccup.

"Future Chief of the Bog-Burglars, at your service!" Cami said. "You're a lot smaller than your dad. I've never met him but Mom's told me a lot of stories about how big and brave he was. That's why they called him Stoick the Vast. But you're not very vast. Are you sure you're the Chief?" The words tumbled out of her mouth in a mad rush, as if Cami was trying to win the world record for most insults about Hiccup's size spilled in a minute.

Cami's description of Hiccup was a bit hypocritical, given the juxtaposition between her and Bertha. Everything about the mother-daughter pair seemed at opposition. Cami was shorter than Hiccup was at fifteen, though she had to be a few years older than that. Bertha, however, was even taller than Stoick had ever been, making her daughter seem smaller by comparison. Cami was dressed in all black, though her messy blonde hair – held back in a pair of ponytails tied at the base of her neck – would make it hard for her to be as stealthy as the color seemed to imply. She had no signs of conventional weapons on her other than an empty knife sheath strapped to her thigh. Cami did, however, have a dual sash crisscrossing her chest with all sorts of pockets and doodads hanging off it. Instead of a belt, Cami had a length of rope tied around her waist. A hook hung off one end.

Hiccup paused at Cami's questions, not sure what to say. He was saved by a loud horn from up the hill. They all turned to look and saw that many people were now making their way to the meeting hall.

"Well, I guess it's time to get this meeting started," Gobber said. He turned and started the walk up the winding stone stairs without waiting for the other three. Cami, Astrid, and Hiccup began to follow, but Bertha put her hand on Hiccup's shoulder to hold him back.

She leaned in towards him, voice lowered. "Stoick the Vast was one of the men I trusted the most, but just because you're his son doesn't mean I'll trust you as well. Times are changing, and I have to be careful who I trust. Show me that you can fill those big boots of your father's, and you'll have an ally in me." She glanced down, then back up at Hiccup's face. "Er. Boot."

Hiccup nodded. Bertha clapped him on the back, then turned and began to walk up the hill. Hiccup hurried to catch up to Astrid, who was waiting for him.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Bertha's testing me," he said. "She won't trust me just because she was friends with my dad."

"Ah," Astrid said. "That's inspiring."

They reached the plateau upon which the Hall sat. Muted conversation came from inside. Unlike the one on Berk, it was sparsely decorated, with rough instead of finely carved wooden beams. Hiccup could see scorch marks and places where the Hall had been rebuilt and repaired many times. A portion of the roof, however, was made of lighter wood that must have been replaced only recently.

Bertha and Cami entered the Hall first. A Viking inside announced her arrival for those inside to hear: "Bertha the Bold, daughter of Hilda. Chief of the Bog-Burglar Isles!" Some people inside the Hall greeted Bertha as she disappeared into the fire-lit room.

His turn. Hiccup took a deep breath before standing straighter and walked into the Hall, Astrid and Gobber following behind him.

Most of the room was already filled. A dozen or so thrones were set up in a ring around the central fireplace. All but two of the chairs furthest from the door were already occupied with Viking Chiefs, all bigger and bulkier than Hiccup. They turned to look at him as one of the Vikings announced his arrival: "Hiccup, son of Stoick. Chief of Berk."

At that proclamation, the room turned silent. Vikings turned to stare at Hiccup, some with the same glares from before. He pressed his lips together as if trying not to panic and nodded at some of the friendlier looking Vikings as he made his way to one of the empty thrones across the room. His prosthetic clanked against the stone floor, the only sound in the room beyond the central fire.

Hiccup climbed into a seat between Bertha and an empty chair. He squirmed a bit under the intimidating glares of his contemporaries. Unlike the other Vikings, who seemed to fit their thrones, Hiccup was dwarfed by his. Astrid and Gobber took up their positions slightly behind the front of his chair and stood at guard.

The silence was broken by the arrival of the last Viking, flanked by two young women who were obviously his children. He was clearly older than most of the others, if his grey beard was any indication, and had dark skin and an eyepatch over one eye. Despite his age, though, the Viking walked without hesitation towards the open seat at Hiccup's left, ignoring the low insults and grumbles the others sent his way. "Harald the Stern, son of Sigurd. Chief of Ringerike Bay."

With every Chief present, a Viking across the fire from Hiccup stood up. Hiccup noticed for the first time that his throne was slightly fancier than all the others, with more carved decorations, though still less than what was often seen on Berk. He was older than Hiccup, but not by much. This was Ivar the Unshakable, Chief of the Western Fjords.

"Everyone's here," Ivar said. "Most of you have probably realized why I wanted to call this meeting because the same thing has been happening to you, so I'll get right to the point. The dragons have started attacking again."

The room burst with low conversation and rage as those who had not heard reacted to the news. Hiccup stole a glance at Gobber and Astrid. Astrid shook her head once at him, and Gobber leaned towards him and whispered, "Remember to keep quiet until we know more." Hiccup sat back in his seat, fiddling with his still awkwardly hanging cloak.

Ivar raised his hands to quiet the room. The grumbles slowly receded. "The dragons haven't attacked my village for almost five years," he said. "But then, a few months ago, they started raiding us again."

Several other Vikings in the room called out in agreement. Ivar's village wasn't the only one attacked, apparently.

"It's worse this time than before. The beasts aren't just stealing our food. They're attacking _us_ as well." Ivar reached up with his left arm to unhook the clasp of his cloak. It fell off his right shoulder, revealing a horrible red scar of burns covering his outer arm. It wasn't an old injury. "This happened on the first night they attacked. It took us all by surprise." He pulled his cloak back up. "They didn't just take the food. They took people. Carried them right off into the sky."

More quiet muttering. Hiccup inhaled sharply. Not good.

"If that's all that's happened, why did you call us here?" the Chief opposite of Ivar said. He was a stout man with a thick black beard and a face made into a permanent scowl. "My village hasn't been attacked since they stopped. I see no reason why you need all of us here, Ivar. This is a waste of time." He stood up, as if to walk out of the room.

Ivar frowned. "I thought I should warn you all in person, Haakon. And everyone's here. We might be able to do something together this time, before the attacks get worse."

"Work together? Hmph." Haakon scowled more, but sat down in his chair.

"Thank you," Ivar said. He clapped his hands together. "I wanted as many Chieftains here as possible because our people have been fighting dragons for centuries. I thought that if we pool our knowledge, we might be able to figure out where the dragons come from and take the fight to them. Every one of our tribes, with the best warriors we can get. We might finally be able to end this war for good!"

Ivar's words had an effect on the assembled Vikings. Many began to nod and voice enthusiastic agreements with the young speaker. Hiccup spared a glance at Astrid, whose face reflected his own misgivings. Only a few others were quiet, Bertha and Harald among them. Haakon continued scowling.

"I know the dragons don't come from the mainland. My villagers have searched every inch of land they know and there's nothing. They must come from an island in the west." Ivar pointed towards the hall's doors. The same direction as Berk. "We'll gather our best ships and search until we find them."

"And do what then? Chase them off?" Haakon said. "Your people have been good at that."

Ivar stared at the man with an even gaze. "We'll find their nest. If we can, we'll destroy it. The dragons will leave."

"Oh, really? If that's the case, are you sure you're the one to plan this thing out? I seem to recall that you've never even sailed in the open waters and tried to find the dragons. All you've done is stayed to the coast and fight them off until they come back! Do you really think destroying their nest is going to stop the brutes from killing people?"

Hiccup grit his teeth at the insult. He sat up in his chair, but Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder as Ivar tried to speak. "Well, I-"

"It's not going to work!" Haakon yelled. "Chasing the dragons away isn't going to do anything but delay them from coming back." Some of the other Chiefs muttered their assent. "They'll just keep coming and keep killing us. We have to do something else."

Ivar tried to interject, but Haakon practically leapt out of his chair and started pacing around the room. "I say that we do more than just chase them away," he said with scorn in his voice. "We bring all our warriors, all our weapons. No matter what it takes or how much we use. One last battle against the dragons!"

The assembled Vikings gave a cry of agreement. Haakon puffed his chest out with the cheers, taking in their fervor. "We'll find them and kill them all! Finish them before they finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them!"

"That's not true!" Hiccup yelled.

His claim silenced every other voice in the room. All eyes turned to look at him.

Immediately, Hiccup shrunk back in his seat, his eyes very wide with the realization of what he just said. Next to him, Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Gobber slapped his forehead.

Haakon narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say, boy?"

"Uhh…"

"I believe," Ivar said, his voice cold and hard, "that…Hiccup said that killing them isn't the only way to deal with the dragons. Is that true, Chieftain?"

Hiccup swallowed. He opened his mouth, then closed it. "I…Yes. We don't have to kill them."

"Well, then what do we do instead, Hiccup?" Haakon spat his name out.

The Terrible Terror was out of the bag. Time to face his mistake. Hiccup took a deep breath, sat up straight, and looked directly at Haakon. "We train them."

Haakon blinked, then let out a giant, mirthless laugh. "Train them? You think we can _train_ dragons? Train the beasts that have been killing us for three hundred years?"

"It's possible. I've trained a Ni- a lot of dragons. Everyone on Berk has." He paused. "And I can teach all of you how to train your –"

"Teach us how to train dragons?" Haakon laughed again. "Tell me, boy, how did training dragons go for your father? Didn't seem to help him when that dragon killed him last year. Served him right, the dirty ba-"

"That's enough, Haakon," a new voice said. Haakon turned to the man at Hiccup's left. Harald, the one who had spoken. "Those are just rumors."

"Rumors? What rumors?" Hiccup asked.

"Don't pretend you don't know, boy," Haakon said. "You Berkians have always been secretive out there on your little island. Plotting against the rest of us, I'm sure. Your father was the only survivor that day twenty years ago. Probably lit the fire himself to kill the rest."

"That's not true and you know it!" Gobber yelled, rushing forward. Astrid had to physically hold him back from rushing at Haakon.

Haakon ignored him. "The rumors that on your island you've been collecting dragons. Arming them. Preparing to go to war with the rest of us."

"War?" Hiccup said. "I don't want war with anybody. I just want peace!"

"Then how do you explain reports of _armored dragons_ flying around Berk?" Haakon began pacing around the room, raising his voice to address everyone. "How do you explain the claims that outlying villages have been _attacked_ and _terrorized_ by Berkians on dragonback?" The assembled Chieftains began to murmur amongst themselves at this.

"How do you explain the fact that your own father was _murdered_ by a dragon, the very same Night Fury that _YOU_ claimed to have trained?"

The outbursts of surprise by Chiefs in the room at the words _Night Fury_ were background noise to Hiccup. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. "How did you know it was a Night Fury that killed my dad? Only someone who was there –" Hiccup's face paled with the realization. "You're working with Drago."

"Drago Bludvist?" Haakon had a satisfied smirk on his face. "I do believe that Ivar had something to say about him."

Ivar started. He had lost control of the situation. "Er, yes, I do. He's the real reason I asked you all to gather here. He came to me with a possible solution to the dragon problem. You see, he has a way to control the dragons. Make them leave for good."

"No. No, you can't trust him!" Hiccup almost yelled. "Drago's the one who killed my dad!"

"And what makes you think we'd listen to you, boy?" Haakon said. "For all we know, you're the one who 'trained'" – he made air quotes around the word – "a Night Fury to kill your own father so you could become chief! How do we know you won't come for us next?"

The room burst with angry shouts. Chieftains who believed what Haakon had to say. Hiccup glanced at the room, seeing Vikings about ready to jump out of their seats and come at him. They weren't going to change. He grit his teeth and stood up.

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?" Hiccup said, shaking his head. "Then I guess I'll leave." He began walking across the room in long, anxious strides, followed closely by Astrid and Gobber.

Haakon stood dumbstruck for a moment as the trio passed him, then shook his head and snarled after Hiccup, who was almost at the stairs in front of the door. He grabbed the man's shoulder. "You can't just–"

The hand on Hiccup's shoulder made him startle, the tension in the room making his recently jumpy nerves even more so. In one swift movement, Hiccup spun around, grabbing the Inferno and lighting it before pointing the weapon at Haakon. The flaming blade was inches from the man's face.

Haakon's furious eyes reflected the fire as he glared at Hiccup. Hiccup and company began to slowly back away towards the door as Haakon spoke. "You. You _dare_ bring a weapon in here and raise it against me?"

Hiccup was breathing too fast to answer him. The room seemed smaller, the other hostile Vikings closer, the flames in the hearth bigger. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, a hair's breadth away from a fight.

Gobber reached the door and slipped out first, followed by Astrid. Hiccup lowered the blade, its flames dying as he prepared to leave the room. He stopped as Haakon, his earlier composure gone, spluttered something out.

"If you take one step out this room, boy, then this will mean war on Berk!"

Hiccup considered for a second. "War is what you want, isn't it?" He stared right at Haakon. "Then I guess war is what you'll get."

With that, Hiccup turned his back on the assembled Vikings and closed the door behind him.


	7. Hiccup Meets the Night Fury

(Gobber tells hiccup to take a break)

Hiccup and Toothless sat in the shadow of some rocks looking out over the empty sea, the boy leaning against the dragon. High overhead, Hiccup saw the now familiar sight of the Night Fury circling around the island. He and toothless watched it, but still kept their eyes on the sea in case the armada showed up. Every so often, the Night Fury would take a dive close to the watching duo, but it still maintained its distance.

Finally getting bored staring at things, Hiccup pulled out his notebook and began to sketch the dragon circling the air. "What do you think it wants, Toothless?" he asked. "It's just been flying around. I know its watching us." Toothless (whined) in response.

Hiccup stopped doodling and absently twirled the pencil in his hand. "I just wish it would come closer. It would be great to see another Night Fury up close." He fiddled with the pencil some more, but (somehow drops it). The pencil rolled off the edge of the rock and clattered to the ground below. Hiccup got up and peered over the edge. He could see the pencil some thirty feet below, in a crevice not accessible by dragon. Hiccup sighed.

"I'm going to go get that, bud," he said. "You stay here and keep watch, alright?" The dragon eyed him as he stood up and inched his way off the rock.

It took a while for Hiccup to retrieve the pencil and return to Toothless. He clambered over the rocks and was about to reach their watch post when he heard the unmistakable sound of the wing beats of a dragon. Hiccup froze, listening for any sounds coming from the post. There were a few small noises of dragon claws on stone, but otherwise, nothing.

Slowly, Hiccup peered around the stone and saw what he had hoped to see. The second Night Fury was standing at the edge of the rock, clearly hesitant and ready to take off at the first sign of danger.

(Dragons interacting)

It was clear that this was not the first time the two dragons had met...

Toothless caught sight of Hiccup watching the two dragons and his pupils widened slightly, enough that the other Night Fury realized that the boy was there. It turned around, its pupils narrowing quickly, and, upon seeing Hiccup, took off into the sky. Toothless (screeched) at the other dragon, then beckoned at Hiccup, who vaulted over his rock and was in Toothless's back in an instant. But Toothless didn't take off. The duo waited there, watching as the Night Fury circled around.

"What are we going to do, Toothless?" Hiccup whispered, but the dragon only continued his watch. He soon saw why. The Night Fury alighted on a rock overlooking Hiccup and Toothless. It was in a defensive position, too high for any conventional weapon Hiccup could have thrown to reach it. Toothless (noise) again, and then motioned for Hiccup to dismount. Hiccup obliged, climbing off Toothless's back. He kept his hands up and his palms open, maintaining not quite eye contact with the Night Fury. Hiccup came to stand next to Toothless, who also kept his gaze on the other dragon. Toothless didn't curl his tail entirely around Hiccup, but it was curled enough that the dragon was clearly claiming the boy as his.

For a breathless moment the three of them stood there, waiting for the perched Night Fury to make the first move. And it did. Seeming to trust Toothless's judgement of Hiccup, the dragon leapt off its rock and landed with a gentle whoosh of air in front of the waiting duo.

The dragon circled around to Hiccup's left so that nothing but open air and Toothless's tail was between them. Hiccup turned slowly, following the dragon with his body. As they moved, so too did Toothless, who backed away until Hiccup stood closer to the Night Fury than he did to his dragon. The world seemed to pause as Hiccup took in his first full sight of a second Night Fury.

It was bigger than Toothless, older, clearly, with more stubby protrusions along its head and back. It was darker too, and harder to make out the spots of its hide. What was easy to see, though, were the numerous scars all over its body. This dragon had seen battle, both with other dragons and with Vikings. One long scar across its back was particularly neat, lacking the ragged edges that scars from dragon claws and teeth typically made. An ax or a sword had made it.

Hiccup took a deep breath and stepped towards the Night Fury, at the same time lowering his left hand and stretching out his right, making eye contact with the dragon. At the movement, it growled at him, and Hiccup stopped, glancing sideways at Toothless, who sat off to his right. Toothless stared back at the boy, then gestured with his eyes at the other Night Fury. Again, Hiccup stepped forward, inching along slowly. The bigger dragon eyed him, and the two maintainer eye contact while Hiccup stepped closer and closer. Hiccup kept quiet; the only sounds coming from him were his careful breathing and the clink of his prosthetic on stone.


	8. Drago's Island

Fog hung low over the sea, obscuring the other boats from Cami's view. Even from her vantage point on top of the main mast, the other boats were mostly vague forms in the distance. She hummed quietly to herself and kicked her feet against the wood while watching the fleet sail forth.

A dark shadow loomed out of the mist ahead of her mother's ship. Cami's eyes widened as the mass took shape into dozens of craggy spires that jutted out at an angle from the sea. They were far enough above her head that there was no danger they would hit Cami, but she shrank back slightly when they passed near her. The closest one, when it passed out of the fog, was an almost translucent blue, unlike any sort of rock or stone. It seemed almost to be made of….

"Mother!" Cami said, landing on the deck of the ship after sliding down the mast. "Those things are made of ice!"

Bertha didn't hear Cami. She was busy looking at a cluster of papers with one of her warriors. Cami stalked over to her mother and pulled on her shirt sleeve. "Mother! Did you hear what I said?"

"Hmm? What's that?" Bertha looked up, but didn't focus on her daughter. She stared into the distance at the boats ahead of hers.

"I said, those _things_ are made completely of ice!"

The ship lurched beneath their feet before Bertha had the chance to answer. It had beached on a small shoreline of black sand. Bertha walked to the gunwale and paused with her hand on the wood. Without turning, she spoke.

"We're here."

The air had cleared enough for Cami to see some of the activity on the island, or maybe it was just crowded enough that it seemed like she could see more. Either way, there was plenty going on as she followed her mother and the other Chieftains. In the distance behind and in front of her were more of those ice spires sticking out in a defense against incoming attackers, except for one area to her left where there was a single, narrow peak whose tip disappeared into the sky.

The path the warriors took wound its way through a construction zone of large metal domes. Cami watched a group of three men with animal pelts and that same harsh dragon-head brand lift a metal plate to a hole on the side while a fourth standing on a scaffold helped guide it into place. Nearby but out of sight, a blacksmith's hammer echoed loudly among the piles of metal and wood. Somewhere, a dragon roared. People shouted. On the other side of a nearby dome, an explosion sent sparks into the air. Cami stared. The shadows of large wings beat against smoke and the dragon roared again. The shouting got louder and louder and the blacksmith's hammer crashed and more people ran towards the escaping dragon and still Cami stared-

"Watch it, kid!" Someone ran past Cami, shoving her to the ground. She rolled out of the way of more feet and stood up. Cami stuck her tongue in the general direction of whoever caused her to fall, but the bravado didn't stay on her face long. Bertha called out her name, and, with one last glance in the direction of the still-screaming dragon, Cami ran to catch up with her mother just as the Chieftains arrived at an open space of rocky ground.

Without turning her back on the open space, Bertha leant down towards Cami. "I told you to stay with me. Don't go running off again. Do you understand?" Cami nodded mutely.

Bertha straightened herself and Cami stood slightly behind her, trying to look intimidating as the smallest person present. Just in time, for a caped figure emerged from the shadows with a lurching gait. It was clear at once that this was the fearsome Drago Bludvist they had come to see. It wasn't just the way the man carried himself with authority, or the cloak of dragon skin he wore. No, it was the way that the other Chieftains quieted when he arrived, the way they all shifted their bodies so that they had slightly better reach for their weapons.

Haakon swallowed once, then stepped forward. "Well, Drago, they're all here, like you asked." His bravado from the meeting was gone.

Drago grunted. He walked slowly past the assembled Chieftains, staring at each in turn. Some of them, like Ivar, shifted nervously under his gaze. Others, Bertha and Harald included, met his eyes without flinching. He ignored Haakon, who remained standing there awkwardly.

The warlord's eyes fell on Cami and his already glowering scowl deepened. Cami stood up straighter and tried to keep herself steady, despite her nerves, but it didn't matter. Drago had already turned and was stalking towards Bertha.

"A child?" Drago's voice sent Cami's breath racing. "You brought an ignorant child to a war order?"

Bertha stood at the same height as Drago Bludvist and she said her words quietly, but without hesitation. "Do not insult my daughter, warlord. You need my ships. I want this war over, but I can wait. Do not give me reason to leave."

Drago's nostrils flared with anger, but he spun around and walked back into the opening.

"You and your people have been at war with the dragons for too long!" he yelled, slowly pacing back and forth. "And now you know that Berk, with its Chieftain, Hiccup," he sneered, "have joined their side. It's time that this ends, for good."

"What do you suppose we do?" Haakon asked. "Mr. Bludvist, uh, sir," he added when Drago turned to glare at him.

"We attack! And they will come here. And we will crush them."

"What makes you think we can do that? If the Berkians have allied with the dragons, then what chance do we have, even with our strength combined?" Bertha said.

Drago smiled then, a lopsided grin that didn't affect the scars on his face. "Because I have something they don't."

Without pause, he spun around to face the ice wall in the near distance. Drago began to yell, his voice ragged and piercing. He swung his staff high over his head with each beat of his yell. Every noise in the distance seemed to quiet as the warlord's voice echoed around the fort.

There were gasps among the assembled Chieftains. Cami's eyes widened as she realized that what she thought was a clump of ice spires began to move.

Two eyes opened out from the fog.


	9. Before the Battle

They came around the edge of the mountain, out of its shadow and into the fading light of the late afternoon. Below them spread Berk in all its glory, small fires popping up here and there. Toothless dove low, gliding towards one of the open spaces that, right now, was filled with people. As the two of them flew closer, Hiccup saw why everyone the call had been sounded.

The armada was here.

Hundreds of ships of varying designs and sizes. At the armada's head was the largest warship of the bunch. Hiccup was too far away to make out many details, but it matched what he knew of Drago Bludvist's ships. In all likelihood, the warlord himself was coming. Next to the lead were at least two dozen more warships interspersed among smaller boats with colors that matched those of some of the Chieftains Hiccup had seen at the meeting. The armada was still far out on the horizon, but getting closer with every passing second. The wind favored them. It would not be long until they were here.

Toothless landed in the middle of the hillside where people were watching. Hiccup dismounted and ran to Astrid and Eret, who were waiting with their own dragons.

"What-" Words failed him. Hiccup cleared his throat, tried to look more Chiefly, and tried to speak again. "What do we know about…what's coming?" He gestured at the approaching ships.

"Fishlegs has counted at least eight different Chieftains' crests," Eret said. "Most of the ships just have warriors on them, but the bigger one have catapults and plenty of things to throw at us. And dragon traps, too."

"We think the catapults are for the dragons. Too keep us away from their ships," Astrid supplied. "The smaller boats are probably going to get close to us and try for a land attack. I've already told people to guard the docks and warn us if anyone tries to come up that way."

Hiccup nodded. "Thanks, Astrid. Any sign of Drago?" Astrid shook her head. "That's…worrisome." He looked out at the approaching ships. They were closer now, and fanning out in an arc around the island. No chance to escape by boat, then. Not when there was much of a reason to, what with the dragons and all.

"Um…" Hiccup began, turning towards the assembled people, which was most of Berk at this point. He took a deep breath. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. Get anyone who can't or won't fight to the evacuation point. Astrid and Mom," he said, pointing at them. "I want you to get the dragons and riders with the best long-distance shooting skills and get them ready to fly. Eret, you're in charge of making sure the beaches and docks are protected. Gobber, get everyone else ready to fight here on Berk." They all nodded. "And I want everyone to keep an eye out for Drago or his Bewilderbeast. Tell me as soon as you see it."

"What about you, Chief?" Astrid asked as everyone dispersed to their various stations.

Hiccup pursed his lips. "I'm going to try one last time to talk some sense into them."

Bertha, from her lead ship to the right of the main fleet, stared at the sky above the island. It was true. The dragons had come to Berk. Hundreds of them, of all shapes and sizes and colors.

"Gods have mercy on us," she breathed. She watched the dragons for a moment longer, then dropped the incredulous look from her face. The battle was almost upon them. "Cami!"

Cami was sitting on the spar above Bertha, watching the dragons with an intense stare while twirling a small knife in her hand. Hearing her mother's call, Cami stuck the knife into its sheath hidden in her black clothes and slid down the mast, landing silently on the deck. "Yes, Mother?"

The Chieftain did not speak for a moment. Then, keeping her eyes on the island in front of her, Bertha said, "I don't want you going on the raid tonight. You're staying here."

"What?!" Cami cried. "But Mother, you said- "

"Enough!" Bertha turned to her daughter and towered over her. "This is far worse than I thought, Cami." She gestured at the island. "There are more dragons on this island right now than I have ever seen in one place before. You're a good Burglar, but you have a lot more to learn. Tonight is not the time for that. You're not to set foot off this boat, and that's final."

Cami's eyes narrowed, but she relented with a humph of frustration. "Fine." She crossed her arms and stalked over to a crate lashed to the gunwale. "I'll just sit here. Missing _all_ the fun and _all_ the chances to learn things that the future Chief of the Bog Burglars should know!"

Bertha ignored her. She gestured to a nearby warrior and muttered, "Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't leave this boat." The warrior nodded.

"Hoy! Chief!" the lookout shouted. "There's a ship with a white sail approaching."

The boat was one of Berk's smaller ones, with a white cloth tied up where the sail should go. The wind favored the approaching armada and so Hiccup had two Vikings row the boat out over the shoals around the island. Beyond them, Hiccup's only companion was Toothless, standing and watching beside him.

Hiccup absently rubbed his hand on Toothless's head. "You ready, bud?" The dragon cooed deep in his throat, a sound that wasn't encouraging. Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, me neither." He shook his head. "I know this probably isn't going to work, but I have to try one last time."

They drew closer and closer to the lead ship. It was one of Drago's. Hiccup stared at the figures on board, straining to see if he could spot the man who had caused all of this.

At the bow of the lead ship stood Haakon and Ivar, watching Hiccup's boat draw closer.

"We should send a ship out to meet him," Ivar said. "I'll go." He turned to leave.

"No."

"No? But he's here under a cease fire."

"So he claims," Haakon said. He raised his hand to signal a woman with a crossbow to move to sight in. She set her bow on the gunwale's top and knelt down behind it. "But do you really think he's come peacefully with a Night Fury on board his ship? After what happened at the meeting?"

"You practically drove him to that, Haakon!" Ivar shook his head. "I'm not going to let you do that." He started to draw his sword.

Immediately, two guards rushed him. They grabbed Ivar by his arms and wrestled him to his knees while a third placed a gag over his mouth. Haakon smirked and turned so that he could see Ivar out of the corner of his eyes. "I didn't want to have to do this, Ivar." The smile dropped from his face and he turned back to stare at Hiccup's approach. "But I'm not going to let anyone get in my way of this war."

The crossbow woman lit the tip of her bolt with a short stick she placed in a nearby torch and sighted in, right above Hiccup's head. She waited for Haakon's signal. Embedded near the tip of the bolt was a tiny metal compartment.

"Now."

She pulled the trigger.


	10. Battle for Berk

Hiccup ducked, the flaming bolt shooting through the air to impale itself on the wood right above his head. Hiccup recovered and backed up as the sail – little more than a white sheet hastily tied to the mast – started to smolder. Toothless sniffed the air.

"I guess that's our answer," Hiccup said. "Time to-"

Toothless shoved his shoulder into Hiccup, knocking the man to the ground as the metal capsule on the bolt exploded, sending out a wave of flames across the boat and rocking it side to side. The sail caught fire and began to burn. Hiccup's two rowers dove off the boat and started to swim back to shore.

Toothless looked down at Hiccup, his pupils narrowed with the stress from the blast. The image of Toothless stalking him from that day on the ice flashed in Hiccup's eyes and he shoved himself away from the dragon, breathing hard. After a moment, he shook his head and stood up. "Thanks, bud," he said. "Are you ready, Toothless?"

In response, Toothless snorted and a faint blue glow began along his back, growing brighter as Hiccup climbed in to the saddle. Hiccup glanced at the armada once more and saw Haakon staring down at him. His expression was unreadable from the distance.

"Alright, bud," Hiccup said. "Let's fight this war."

Together, they shot up into the air and left the burning boat behind.

Astrid saw the duo fly up off the boat from her vantage point circling above Berk with Stormfly. Even in the late afternoon light, Toothless's blue glow was clearly visible.

"That's the signal!" she shouted to Valka, who flew opposite her on Cloudjumper. "Let's go!" The older woman nodded, then crouched down and pointed her staff towards the armada below. Cloudjumper turned into a dive, followed by Astrid and Stormfly and a dozen other dragons and riders. In the distance, the rowers from Hiccup's boat were picked up by dragons from the island.

Haakon watched the dragons break from their circle and fly towards the armada. "Ignore the dragons! Let the others take care of them." he yelled. "Aim for Berk!" The order was repeated from ship to ship as various catapults were pulled back and launched. The volley sailed across the waters and landed. Some missed their targets, falling short and plunging to the shoals, but others hit the buildings closest to the cliff's edge. Wood shattered into pieces and left gaping holes in the (victims) that didn't collapse.

The ships on the outside of the armada were loaded not with catapults, but with ballistae that threw nets and bolos. Harald's ship was at the front of one cluster of boats and he watched Astrid's team dive closer. Wood creaked as warriors drew back their ballistae. Harald raised his arm in preparation to signal the release, but waited.

"Stormfly," Astrid yelled as she and the dragon swooped low over the head of the armada. "Fire!"

The blue dragon let out a belch of flames that hit the mast of a lead ship, sending flaming bits of wood everywhere and leaving people ducking.

Upon hearing the explosion, Haakon turned to see what was happening behind him. His warriors continued to launch projectiles towards Berk. Haakon was greeted with the sight of warriors trying to douse dozens of burning masts. He growled in frustration but turned back to watch Berk's destruction.

Harald too watched the masts burn, but paused in giving his signal.

"Sir?" one of his warriors said.

Harald pursed his lips, then lowered his hand. "Hold off. I want to watch where the battle goes."

On the other side of the armada, Bertha was nearly thrown from her boat as a blast blew up her sail. She gripped the railing of the gunwale as the boat rocked back and forth violently. As it settled, she righted her helmet and looked around, watching her warriors stand up and scramble to set out the fire. What her eyes did not find, however, was her daughter.

"Cami?" Bertha yelled. "Cami!"

There was no response. Bertha turned towards the warrior she had told to watch the girl, who shook her head. "She was right here before the explosion, Chief."

Bertha grimaced. "Get someone to look for her and anyone else who fell overboard." To the other ships in her command, she said, "Send in the rowboats!"

A small fleet of long, thin rowboats without sails pushed out from the greater armada, splitting off in different directions. They were filled with Vikings from multiple villages and led by Bertha's own warriors dressed in dark leather armor. Neither Bertha nor her lookout saw a soaking wet Cami perched on the cargo in the back of one of the rowboats, smiling widely.

On Toothless above Berk, Hiccup watched his plan to slow the ships work somewhat, but the success was tempered by Fishlegs, who shouted Hiccup's name. "They're sending out the rowboats now! What do you want us to do?"

"Get people to start picking off the rowers one by one," he shouted back. "Drop them in the water away from the boats! Snotlout, go with him."

Fishlegs nodded in affirmation and flew off on Meatlug, Snotlout and Hookfang in tow. Ruffnut and Tuffnut waited with Barf and Belch nearby. "What about us, Chief?" Tuffnut asked. For once, it sounded sincere. There was no smile on either of their faces.

Hiccup looked at the battle beneath him. Berk was beginning to return volley with their roughly built catapults. Rocks and boulders landed in the water next to the ships, sending up waves that disrupted the armada's own aim. But they were vastly outnumbered by the return fire. A good number of masts were still burning, but others were put out before too much damage could be done. The boats of the outside of the armada had picked up on Hiccup's initial plan and had traded their sails for paddles. It would not be long before the armada would make a half circle spreading around the populated area of Berk.

"Find every Zippleback you can," Hiccup said. "Wait until the rowboats are out of the way and then start gassing up" – Tuffnut snickered and Ruffnut rolled her eyes – "the area around the edges of the armada. Don't," he emphasized, "set anything on fire until I tell you to."

"What do you think we are, five?" Ruffnut asked while Tuffnut groaned in disappointment, but the two of them flew off without any further argument.

Hiccup sighed. He patted Toothless's head and the dragon cooed back at him. "Alright, bud. Let's go see what else we can do." They flew off towards the village.

Down at the water's level, Cami ducked between the bucket-sized barrels in the rowboat and narrowly avoided being grabbed by a diving dragon. Another warrior was grabbed and disappeared in a dragon's claws. Cami watched in open-mouthed wonder at the passing Monstrous Nightmare, who swooped back around in another pass at her boat. She could see the complex leather saddle and the dark-haired warrior sitting in it upon the dragon's back. At the last second, the rider pulled back and the dragon turned in order to avoid slamming into the rocky cliff of Berk that the boat was now under.

The rowers slowed the boat as it (sailed) under the large wooden structure that Cami saw were stadium seats. She gaped, speechless, as the complexity of the build until her awe was broken by some ropes that one of her mother's warriors threw at her. "Since you're with us now," she said, "might as well make yourself useful and climb to the top of this thing. Secure the rope when you get there."

Cami grinned. "Yes, ma'am!" she said, and began to climb up the wood with a nimbleness the larger warriors could only envy.

On the other side of Berk, a different rowboat had made it to the Berk docks. The Berkian ships were gone save for a few small boats lashed to the docks along the cliffside. The rowboat pulled up to the dock near the ramp to the village proper. In the shadow of the island, the entire dock was cast into a premature twilight with odd shadows at every corner. The warriors climbed out of their boat and readied their weapons. They crept along the empty dock with no movement except for the light of explosions in the distance.

One of the warriors put his back to the wall and peered around the corner that led up to the village, clearly expecting resistance. He scratched his head, then turned to his compatriots and shrugged. He turned back and rounded the corner. He found there, right in his face, the horn of Skullcrusher, who snorted in his face. Hesitantly, he looked up to find Eret, son of Eret, looking down at him.

"Hello," Eret said, grinning. On cue, Skullcrusher charged forward, throwing the man aside and scattering the approaching troops. Spitelout and two other warriors on dragonback dropped down from their hiding places among the upper ramps of the docks behind the attackers. Spitelout drew a sword and smacked an enemy warrior in the face with it, knocking him into the water. The others did the same, drawing weapons and disarming the enemies.

Eret jumped off Skullcrusher's back and found along the dragon's flank. They took up most of the entranceway up to the village, Skullcrusher ramming his horn into attackers from one side, Eret defending with his sword and bravado from the other. The eight of them held the gate like this well, until something hit Eret in the left shoulder.

He slapped a hand over the wound and found a small dart with red feathers. Eyes wide, he looked around a spotted a warrior with a blowgun to his mouth that was pointed in Eret's direction.

"Spitelout!" Eret called. "Watch…out…." Before he could finish, Eret topped backwards and slumped with his back Skullcrusher. The dragon let out a roar.

Upon hearing his name and the dragon's bellow, Spitelout turned to see what had happened. He barely had the chance to see Eret slump over before he, too, collapsed on his dragon's back, a dart sticking out the back of his neck. Within seconds, the other two warriors were similarly compromised.

Skullcrusher defended the gate by himself while the Vikings were pulled off their dragons and tied up. The dragons were captured as well, weighted nets tossed over them and darts blown into their hides until they collapsed. Only Skullcrusher, with his armored plates preventing darts from landing, remained. Swords, too, were ineffective.

One of the attackers suddenly leapt on Skullcrusher's saddle. The dragon bucked like an angry bull, trying to throw the warrior off, but somehow he held on. He managed to lean over the side of the saddle and stab a handful of darts into the joint around Skullcrusher's wing where the skin was softer. Skullcrusher roared with pain and anger and finally threw the warrior off his back but the deed was done. Skullcrusher gave one last snort and turned his body so that he blocked most of the ramp up to the village before he passed out. Even so, it only did so much to delay the invaders. With a second rowboat making its way to the docks, the warriors shoved Skullcrusher out of the way enough that they could start carting small barrels from the rowboats up to Berk.

The sun was nearing the horizon as the battle continued. Despite Astrid and Valka's best efforts, more ships had made their way closer to the island and were continuing to launch their volleys. Several teams of invaders found passages up to the village. Gobber's warriors fought between the buildings with swords and shields, fending off attackers with the help of only a few dragons to avoid damaging the village as much as possible. Snotlout and Fishlegs were forced to retreat as the rowboats finished their advances and the other ships were close enough to hit the dragons and riders. Smaller boats maneuvered between the larger ones to fish out dragons and Vikings that had fallen into the water. The Berkians were tied up; the dragons were tossed in the holds. Ruffnut and Tuffnut's cohort of Zipplebacks could only find places on the sides of the battle to spew their gasses.

The twins themselves swooped through the underside of the race stadium, leaving a trail of Barf's noxious gas behind them. As they passed under the sheep goals, Tuffnut dodged to avoid an arrow that nearly took his helmet off.

"Ruffnut!" he yelled, pointing. Another pass around the outside of the stadium showed Ruffnut what her brother was pointing at. Four rowboats had been lashed to the posts holding the structure up, and several rope ladders hung down from the top. Invading warriors were busy unloading small barrels in bucket-brigade style, carrying them up to the stands and into the village. They took potshots as the twins and the dragons as they flew by, preventing them from getting any closer.

"Hiccup didn't send anyone to defend the stadium," Ruffnut called back. "We need to tell him!"

Tuffnut nodded, and the two of them – plus Barf and Belch – flew off to find him.

Hiccup, Astrid, and Valka circled on their dragons over the battlefield. Other riders waited with their dragons nearby. It was not going well for the Berkians. Most of the cliffside buildings had been destroyed. The delaying tactic of destroying sails and masts was no longer effective, though it had allowed the evacuation to finish.

"What would my dad do in he were here?" Hiccup said to himself. Toothless didn't respond. The dragon was distracted, eyes darting here and there across the battlefield and the distance sky. Hiccup sighed, closing his eyes for a second. The sounds of the battle drifted up to him, crashes and booms and faint yells. Then he opened his eyes and sat up, squaring his shoulders, decision made.

"My dad would show no mercy on whoever attacked his home, whether they were dragons or Vikings," Hiccup said, looking at Astrid and Valka each in turn. "We're doing to do the same. Mom, Astrid, same thing, except this time attack the boats themselves. Try to sink as many of the ones attacking Berk as possible." They nodded and flew off in tandem. "Lout and Legs! Go to the village and help Gobber out." Off they went. "Does anyone know how Eret is doing with the beaches and docks?"

"Hiccup!" He turned to look at the twins as they flew up.

"They're climbing up the stadium," Tuffnut said. "We didn't get close enough for Belch to blow them up!"

"I thought I told you…never mind," Hiccup said. "We'll take care of it. You guys go check on Eret at the docks!"

The twins glanced at each other, then nodded at Hiccup. Ruffnut spoke. "They have some sort of barrel with them that they're carrying up to the village. Don't know what's in it though."

"Thanks," Hiccup said. "Now go!"

Hiccup and Toothless were left alone above the battlefield. The man shifted in his saddle, crouching down low for fast flying. "Alright, bud," he said. "Let's take care of this."

Toothless responded by darkening his glow and going into a steep dive around the backside of the peak directly behind the village. With the cloud cover and the darkness of night, it was hard to see exactly what was going on, but enough fires were burning that they could pick out the racing stadium. Toothless came in low and fast, the characteristic Night Fury cry echoing from his mouth. Warriors climbing the structure looked up at the sound, unable to tell exactly where it was coming from. They jumped off the ladders and into the water right before Toothless let fire a single shot.

The dragon's aim was perfect: the blast hit the rowboats right at the base of the structure. The explosion lit up the entire side of Berk. Waves of fire rolled out over the surrounding area, igniting the faint cover of Zippleback gas that lingered in the area. A greater portion still shot up and out away from the island, reflected off the cliff wall across from the boats. Shards of wood were sent flying out over the heads of the warriors submerged in water, who had to dodge falling debris. Boats in the harbor rocked with the blast and more than one ship was set aflame once more.

The blast scattered the dragons without riders that Valka was directing. They flew off into the night. Only she, Astrid, and two other dragon/rider pairs remained.

In the village, Gobber and several other warriors were knocked off their feet with the force of the blast. He rolled over, coughing, and stared at the fireball that filled the air. The moment of distraction was enough for two invaders; they tackled Gobber and wrestled him until they wrapped ropes around his arms and chest. Another rope tied up his legs.

Haakon recovered from the blast that sent waves of heat across face and arms. He stood at the stern of his boat and grinned. "Finally," he said. "It's here."

Toothless circled back around and he and Hiccup evaluated the damage. As they watched, part of the burning stadium collapsed in a heap of sparks and steam. Hiccup stared, then pushed his mask up. "That shouldn't have been that big, even with all the Zippleback gas. Toothless?" The dragon growled but shook his head once.

Down below, Astrid flew over to Valka. "Stormfly's reached her shot limit," she said. "Without the other dragons, we can't keep this up."

"I know," said Valka. The woman crouched on her dragon's back, surveying the battle. "Cloudjumper's almost done too. Do you see Hiccup?"

Astrid shook her head. "No. Without Toothless's glow, I can't-"

A ball of flames flew past Stormfly. The dragon flapped her wings wildly to find purchase in the chaotic air. Astrid was knocked from her back and fell, screaming, to the water below. Both Stormfly and Cloudjumper dove down to reach her, but Stormfly was once again hit with something, this time a net shot from one of the nearby boats. The dragon crashed into the choppy water.

"Astrid!" Valka looped one end of her staff around one of Cloudjumper's back spikes and knelt against the dragon's side as he flew near parallel to Astrid. She reached out her hand to Astrid, who just barely was able to grab it. Valka pulled Astrid in while Cloudjumper righted himself. The woman kept a tight embrace on Astrid and looked up at the sky, searching for something. Below them, a boat on fire sat half in, half out of the waves.

"That was fire from a Night Fury," she said. She looked at Astrid. "Toothless wouldn't have taken a shot so close to you, would he?"

Astrid shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. You don't think…?"

Valka stood up and once again looked at the distant sky. "Aye. I do. The other Night Fury is here."

From his vantage point above the battle, Toothless tracked the other Night Fury as it struck twice more in rapid succession. Two more ships with holes in their sides, sinking into the dark water. The other dragon was more reckless than any of the Berkian dragons had been. It flew dangerously close to the ships and only narrowly avoided being hit by nets.

Hiccup shook his head. "We can't let him keep doing that, bud," he said. "He's only going to get himself caught." Hiccup flipped his faceplate down once more. "Let's get him out of here, Toothless."

Toothless paused for a moment, wings flapping in the blackness as he sought out the other Night Fury. Without warning, he shot forward so fast that Hiccup gave a yell of surprise. The dark of night prevented Hiccup from seeing their quarry; all he could do was react to the subtle clues Toothless gave about which direction to turn. If the Night Fury realized he was being chased, he gave no indication of it. After firing another shot at the armada, the dragon curved high over the battlefield diagonally across it, coming down in a large circle so that he came down and flew right above the water. Toothless, likewise, soared across the water, spray coming up into both his and Hiccup's eyes.

Without warning, the dragon bobbed in the air and switched course so that he flew nearly vertical into the air. Neither Toothless nor Hiccup had enough time to react to the dragon's sudden change before it became clear this was another trick: directly in front of them was the broad side of a larger warship towards the back of the armada. Toothless scrambled to turn, but in his haste it was too difficult for Hiccup to coordinate with the dragon's movements. Toothless's right shoulder slammed into the wooden boat enough to crack several boards. Hiccup barely avoided cracking his head into the wall by putting his arm up at the last second. It took the brunt of the force. The impact stunned both dragon and rider enough that neither could find purchase to scramble on. Toothless almost bounced off the ship's side and fell into the water sideways, plunging himself and Hiccup into the choppy sea.

The cold water broke Hiccup out of his stun enough that he pushed himself away from Toothless. The dragon flailed as he tried to right himself. Hiccup got a wing in the face in the process. The two managed to bob to the surface, gasping for breath. For a moment, Toothless looked around frantically until he spotted Hiccup a few meters away. The dragon calmed down. Hiccup tried to swim over to the dragon, but found it difficult; his right arm wasn't working properly and he had to use only his left arm. He managed to make it over to the dragon, whose head was barely above the waves. His wings beat hard under the water in order to keep himself afloat.

From the rocking boat maybe five meters away, several figures came to look over the edge, pointing and shouting at the duo in the water. "Looks like we m-might b-be in for a little t-trouble, b-bud," Hiccup said, teeth chattering.

Another person joined the ones at the edge. Despite the distance and darkness, Hiccup could clearly see the man's eyepatch. Harald (blah of the blah). He stared down at Hiccup and Toothless, who stared back at him. After a moment, Harald nodded once at them, then turned abruptly and walked away. His warriors followed him.

"D-don't know what th-that was ab-bout," Hiccup said. He looked around and spotted an abandoned boat half floating in the water. He and Toothless began to make their way over to it, Hiccup holding onto Toothless's saddle with his one good arm while the dragon propelled them forward with his wings.

In the village, Cami snuck around the upper part, farther away from the cliff's edge where the battle was taking place. She and several other warriors placed the small barrels here and there among the buildings. They crept along by moonlight that shone through the now broken cloud cover overhead. Faint clangs and yells could be heard from other parts of the island as the battle went on. A troop of about a dozen dragons kept dive bombing various sections of the village, sometimes blasting away at something and other times picking up what looked like people and carrying them away. Cami couldn't see where they were taken.

Down at the docks, Ruffnut and Tuffnut watched, unseen, from one of the upper ramps. Two enemy boats were lashed to the docks: one mostly empty, with only a few of the small barrels left. The other sat low in the water, its draught weighted down by captive dragons and Vikings, Eret, Spitelout, and Skullcrusher among them. A trio of invaders stood in various places around the dock, watching the waters and sky for anyone who might approach. They each held a spear and the last one held a torch.

"We should get one of those barrels for Hiccup," Ruffnut said.

"Yeah," Tuffnut said, "but how?"

"Fox in the Well?"

"Nah, too many people. The Four Deer?"

"We don't have enough rope for that." Ruffnut frowned, thinking. Then, a slow smile crept across her face. "How about we bring out the Garm Hound?"

Tuffnut grinned. "Oh, yes."

At the lowest dock, the guards were alert for anything that moved. Nothing did beyond the water and the explosions they could see the flash from. From up above came the howl of a wolf, echoing down between the rocks. The guards all started, looked at each other, then started looking around for the source of the sound.

"I think it came from up there," one guard said, pointing at the upper docks.

Another howl came, clearly from the direction that the guard had pointed towards. The guard that spoke poked another one in the back. "Go see what that was," he said.

The other guard crept forward and disappeared from sight around the rock face. There was a brief flash, a short scream, a splash, and then nothing.

The two remaining guards looked at each other, then back up at where their companion disappeared. The guards gestured furiously, arguing silently about who should go next. Finally, the first guard through his hands up in the air and stalked off towards the howl's source.

He put his back to the rock face and inched around slowly and cautiously until he was out of sight of the other guard. He peered around the curve of the rock and found himself face to face with Belch. The dragon sparked right in the guard's face, blinding him enough for Ruffnut to take advantage of his momentary disorientation and shove the guard off the back of the dock and into the water below.

While the remaining guard was distracted, Tuffnut tip-toed along the dock behind him to sneak his way to the boat's cargo. He almost made it to the cargo of the boat when he stepped down on a wooden board that creaked. The guard turned with a shout.

"Uh, hi," Tuffnut said. "I was just…"

Before he could come up with a good excuse, the guard ran down the rest of the dock and lunched at Tuffnut with his spear. Tuffnut dodged. "Ha! Missed m-" only to have the butt of the spear take him in the back of the leg. He fell on his back, groaning. The guard poked him in the stomach with the dull end, hard, for good measure.

Ruffnut heard her brother shout and came racing down the dock, yelling. The guard saw her and grabbed one of the barrels, lighting a string that hung out of it. He tossed it at Ruffnut, who caught it reflexively. She looked down and realized what she was holding.

"Uh oh," she said. Ruffnut threw the bomb right before it exploded, tossing her away from the guard and her brother.

On the half-sunken boat, Toothless pulled himself out of the water and shook himself off. He joined Hiccup at the boat's bow, watching the other Night Fury continue to attack the armada. Only the afterimage of the dragon's explosions revealed his location. Hiccup's right arm hung useless at his side.

One lucky net took the dragon in the flank, trapping his wing against his body. The Night Fury screamed as he fell and crashed into the water between boats of the armada.

"No…" Hiccup breathed. "We have to go help him!" He hobbled over to Toothless, only to find that the rope connecting the stirrup to Toothless's prosthetic had been burned and severed. They were stuck here.

Fishlegs, flying on Meatlug over Berk, heard the Night Fury's scream and turned to look at the armada. "Was that Toothless?" he yelled to Snotlout, nearby with Hookfang. Snotlout opened his mouth to speak, but in their distraction, both the Vikings and their dragons were brought down by nets and darts.

Haakon watched from his still floating ship as the crew from two retrieval boats wrestled the netted Night Fury into one of the holds. The dragon fought wildly, biting and sending small bursts of flame out at its captors. They managed to haul it into the hold where its thrashings rocked the boat from side to side.

"Excellent," Haakon said. He turned to the warriors assembled behind him. "Begin the second phase of attacks."

The catapults were loaded with more projectiles, though this time they were smaller and lit on fire. The flaming rounds flew farther than their larger counterparts and landed amongst all parts of the village.

Bertha watched the bombardment begin. Some, but not all, of her rowboats had returned, filled with captives. She gripped the gunwale tightly and screamed. "NO! My people are still up there!"

On Berk, Cami dove for cover as a flaming ball roared over her head to crash into a house behind her. It was followed by an explosion as the bomb placed on its doorstep exploded, sending a wave of flames that caught on several buildings. The world around Cami was an inferno of flames and smoke.

She stood up and put her arm over her face to block out the smoke. "Mother was right. Of _course_ she was. I should have stayed on the boat with her." She inched her way slowly towards a gap in the flames that she could just barely make out, coughing all the while. "I wouldn't be about to DIE on some island covered with- _eep!"_

Something grabbed Cami by the shoulders and pulled her off the ground. Cami screamed as she was yanked into the air by what turned out to be a pair of clawed feet. She twisted in their grip to look up at the dragon that had taken her: a Hobblegrunt. The dragon's grey and yellow hide reflected the light of the fire onto Cami's face. She pounded at the dragon's claws for a moment, struggling in its grip, shouting, "Let me go!" before the dragon flew out of the cloud of smoke and Cami looked down. The ground was far below. She could see the whole village. It seemed like every building was on fire, with more explosions every second. Cami stopped struggling and clutched at the dragon's claws. "On second thought, don't do that."

With the thinned smoke, Cami saw that she was not the only human taken by a dragon. At least a dozen other dragons flew nearby, each with a Viking or two in their claws. The dragons flew in a group over to an open field on the east side of the village that was untouched by Haakon's attack. Cami's Hobblegrunt dropped her lightly onto the grass. She came up in a roll, spun around, and found herself face to face with the dragon.

Cami stared, open mouthed and speechless, at the Hobblegrunt. The dragon cocked its head at her, its fanned crest upright and alert. Then, the dragon let out a squawk, as if satisfied that Cami was alright, before it turned and flew back into the smoky sky, leaving Cami to stare at its retreat.

In the smoke above Berk that blocked out the cloudy sky, Valka scanned the burning village from Cloudjumper's back. Astrid did the same behind her. The paths between buildings were empty; Valka could not see any remaining warriors.

Out of nowhere through the smoke came a ball of flames. Cloudjumper rolled to the side to dodge, forcing Valka to grab onto the spines to avoid falling off. From behind them came a scream.

Valka righted herself. In the smoke, she could not see Stormfly in her frantic searching. "Astrid!" she cried. No response.

Cloudjumper swooped around to where they had last seen the girl and her dragon. "Astrid!" Valka yelled again. "Stormfly!"

"We're okay!" came the faint reply, barely heard over the cracking flames. Stormfly's outline became apparent in the gloom and the dragon came to fly next to Cloudjumper and Valka, Astrid on her back. Another explosion sent a tower of sparks over the dragons and riders.

"We have to go," said Valka. "It's too dangerous to stay here much longer."

"Is there anyone left in the village?"

Valka shook her head. "I don't know. The smoke is too thick for me to see." Yet another explosion sounded through the smoke.

Astrid looked troubled at the thought of leaving anyone behind, but she nodded. The two women and their dragons flew out of the smoke, leaving the burning village behind.

As the ships of the armada began to leave the area around Berk, four invaders loaded a bomb much larger than the others into one of the surviving catapults. Someone pulled the lever to launch it. It crashed into a house and came to rest in a pile of burning wood. The short fuse caught on fire and in no time at all burned down into the barrel.

In their half-sunken boat, Hiccup and Toothless crouched down to avoid being seen by the dispersing armada. They peered over the gunwale just enough that their faces were illuminated when the final bomb exploded. The force of the explosion rocked their small boat back and forth, and both Hiccup and Toothless ducked to avoid the shrapnel that was thrown everywhere across the island and sea.

Hiccup righted himself and Toothless shook debris off his head as a cheer went up from the armada. The battle was over.

"It's gone," Hiccup said. He looked at Toothless and said, "Berk is gone."

Toothless didn't respond. The dragon stared straight ahead at the island, his expression unreadable. The remains of the armada moved around their little boat, ignoring them entirely.

A drop of rain splashed down onto the ship's wood. Another fell, and then another. Within seconds, a downpour began. Hiccup and Toothless waited there, crouched down in the rain, watching their home burn.


	11. Aftermath

It was nearing dawn by the time Hiccup and Toothless made it back to Berk.

A group of warriors rowed a tugboat to an empty spot devoid of damage. Hiccup's boat knocked gently into its stern and another warrior lashed it to the dock post. She offered a hand to Hiccup, who took it and stepped onto the dock. He stood there, stiffly flexing the fingers of his right hand, while Toothless leapt out of the boat. Together, they walked up the ramp towards the village, skirting around a large scorched hole in the wooden boards.

The bridge leading to the main part of the island survived the bombardment unscathed. It offered a vantage point of the sea battle's destruction. Dozens of burned and broken ships lay foundering in the water, their tattered sails hanging still in the windless air.

They arrived at the entrance to the village. What was left of it, anyway.

Here the buildings were mostly intact, though all had been damaged by the fires somehow. They showed signs of pillaging: a door hacked off its hinges with an axe; a pile of broken plates tossed out onto the street; a wooden dragon's head broken off the eaves, a spear stabbed in its eye.

The destruction grew worse as Hiccup and Toothless walked into the village. Houses with gaping holes in their sides where they had been hit with projectiles. Buildings burnt to their foundations. Once vibrantly colored walls now covered in a layer of ash and soot. Rivulets of blackened rain water streaking the ground. They passed no other Vikings or dragons in their procession.

Finally, they walked up the ramp to the courtyard beneath the stairs leading to the Great Hall. Milling about the courtyard were several Vikings. Dragons rested on the grassy hill. The Vikings worked in groups to clear large piles of wood and rocks from where wreckage had been flung across the stone floor. A large boulder sat in a crater next to the stairs' entrance, not quite blocking the way up. People worked around it. They ignored the shapes on one side of courtyard that were laid in rows and covered in cloth.

At their arrival, people looked up and gaped, as though they were seeing ghosts. Hiccup did nothing but stare back at them. It was too much.

"Hiccup!"

The yell interrupted the spell enough that Hiccup turned to look at its source. From the steps leading to the Great Hall came Astrid, running down them. Hiccup moved to meet her as she raced across the courtyard, ignoring the debris beneath his feet.

She grabbed him in a tight hug that Hiccup gave back. He closed his eyes for a moment and leaned into Astrid's embrace.

Astrid pulled back. "You're here," she said, relieved. She rubbed Toothless's forehead when the dragon came to say hello. "No one's seen you for hours. We all thought you and Toothless were captured or…." She trailed off.

Hiccup gave her a tired grin. Astrid's blonde hair was streaked with soot and there were scratches across one side of her face. Her clothes were ripped and burnt in places, but otherwise she seemed fine. "I'm glad you're okay. Toothless's gear broke and I couldn't fix it. We were stuck out there." He waved a hand at the sea.

His grin faded. "Is…?" Who? Valka? Gobber? Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins? Their dragons? Everyone else?

Astrid looked away. "I think you should come see."

The inside of the Great Hall was untouched by the battle. Its placement high above the village and supported by stone left it secure and stable. A place to gather the survivors of the battle.

There were so few of them left, it seemed, despite the fact that the large space was intensely crowded. The tables had been pushed aside and the available floor space taken up by triage of the wounded. Among the human warriors were several dragons, either bandaged themselves or resting with their companions. Footprints made of mud and soot covered the entranceway, mixed with streaks of red. Someone had built up the fire in the hearth, but it was dull and small, as though the Berkians were afraid it would take their last refuge as well.

Stormfly, who lay near the doors, perked her head up when she saw Astrid, Hiccup, and Toothless enter. She squawked softly and padded over to Toothless, who cooed back. The shorter dragon rubbed the side of his face on Stormfly's neck in friendly greeting. Stormfly responded in kind.

Hiccup scanned the room for the people he most wanted to see. Some people looked up at the commotion while others remained working on bandaging wounds. No Gobber, Snotlout, Fishlegs, twins, Eret, or…

His eyes landed on someone crouched by a downed Snifflehunch, bandaging its foreleg. They didn't turn immediately at Hiccup and Toothless's arrival, instead applying the wound fixing first. After a moment, though, they glanced over their shoulder at Hiccup. Upon seeing Hiccup, the person leapt to their feet and rushed over. Hiccup let out a barely contained sob of relief at the arrival of his mother. Valka still wore most of her armor from the waist down, though her chest plate was missing to reveal a shirt stained a variety of colors. Her long braid was coming undone and framed her face with a light halo of loose hair. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand before mother and son reunited with a brief hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Valka said.

"Me too, Mom." Hiccup pulled out of the hug. He looked back and forth between Valka and Astrid, basking for a second in the fact that they, at least, were alive. "Cloudjumper?"

"He's resting outside," she said. Valka hesitated, then pointed at the wounded dragons. "I need to get back to them." Hiccup nodded. Valka gave him a second, quick hug, then jogged back to the Snifflehunch.

Turning to Astrid, Hiccup asked, "Is…are Snotlout, Fishlegs…Gobber?" With each name, the look on Astrid's face confirmed what Hiccup feared: they weren't found.

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat and he blinked tears out of his eyes. He stumbled backwards against the open door, bracing himself with one hand. Astrid and Toothless rushed to his side to balance him. Together, they led him out to the stone half-wall at the top of the stairs. Astrid sat next to him and put her arm around his shoulder while Toothless laid his head on Hiccup's lap.

"This is all my fault," Hiccup muttered. "If I hadn't…." He shook his head. "If I had just…I don't know."

Sensing Hiccup's sadness, Toothless cooed softly and nudged Hiccup's hand. Hiccup sniffed, then rubbed Toothless's head. He smiled, just a bit. "Thanks, bud. At least you're okay."

He gazed out at the ruined village, the still sea, and the low, grey clouds. The entire island seemed to be covered in a layer of muted lethargy, as though a dying goliath had curled up for its final sleep. Toothless, too, looked over the village, then turned his head to the sky. The dragon began to howl, the single, sorrowful note of a keening elegy for the remains of his home.

The other dragons followed suit. One by one, they began to add their wail to the Night Fury's lament, until the whole island echoed with the mourning of the remaining dragons of Berk.

The warriors of Berk could not ignore the call. They trickled out of the ruined woodwork and the Hall and gathered around the three Berkians at the top of the stairs. Their steps were soft and their heads were hung in grief for all they had lost.

Hiccup watched them come.

They came covered in mud and soot. With arms in slings and bandages on their faces. Limping, using makeshift crutches to walk. Wings dragging on the ground. Alone. In pairs. Supporting each other across the stonework. Humans and dragons alike, they came to Hiccup.

The dragons let their cries trail off until it was only Toothless left. Then, he, too, drew his requiem to a close.

With silence once again falling over the island, the survivors of Berk looked at Hiccup, their Chief.

Hiccup closed his eyes for a moment – just slightly longer than a blink – before gritting his teeth and standing up, Toothless right beside him.

"I…" What do you say, to a group of people who had their entire ways of life torn from them? "I'm sorry. For…for everything.

"It's my duty as Chief to protect you," Hiccup said. "And I failed."

As they looked at him, so did Hiccup look back. He saw their worn and weary faces, their battered and broken bodies. There were invisible gaps among the crowd where people should be but were not. Hiccup met the eyes of the Berkians watching him and he saw something within them. Pain. Sorrow. Loss. But there was something more. The defiance of those who had fought in a war for centuries and watched their home be destroyed over and over again shone in their faces. It was covered in soot and blood, but it was there.

"I failed," Hiccup said again. "But I'm not going to give up. _We're_ not going to give up. They've taken our people and our dragons." He focused once more on the eyes of the Berkians in front of him. "We're going to get them back."

Something changed in the Vikings and dragons of Berk. A subtle shift of heads held higher, maybe, of standing up straighter. Someone Hiccup could not see called out, "What're we going to do now, Chief?"

"The brought the battle to us," Hiccup said. A brief smile touched his face. "We're going to give it back."


End file.
